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Dogs + Care & Wellness

Getting a dog is a long-term commitment. Before choosing a pet, consider initial and recurring costs, home environment, size, temperament, and physical characteristics of the dog. Consider training, exercising, and grooming needs, along with your lifestyle.

Many dogs experience fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) when faced with a visit to the veterinary clinic. FAS can be a problem at many points leading up to and during the veterinary visit. Your veterinarian can guide you in conditioning the dog to better enjoy time in the car, helping the dog not to associate car rides with “bad” things.

Newborn puppies are relatively immature at birth compared to many other mammals, and large breed puppies are less mature than small breed puppies. The period of time they spend being nursed by their mother (bitch) helps the newborn puppy transition from in utero nutrition to solid food.

Advances in veterinary awareness and diagnostics not only means dogs are now living longer and with a better quality of life than ever before, but it also means the likelihood of diagnosing cancer during a dog’s life has increased.

Dogs are generally full grown at about 1 year of age (a bit older for giant breeds, such as the Great Dane). They are considered middle aged by 5 to 7 years of age. In between is the young adult life stage. Other than obesity, dental disease, and osteoarthritis, unless there is some unusual medical crisis like cancer, this is typically a healthy period of a dog’s life.

The internet covers a lot of terrain and includes vast amounts of knowledge. Unfortunately, copious amounts of information doesn’t always equate to accurate information. While we know that the internet is a great source of information, we must also realize that it can be a source of misinformation. So how do you know what internet sources you should trust when it comes to finding information on pets and pet care?